The Death of Youth
by Namine09
Summary: The bandanna was taken off of Marcus again. A smile now stretched over Lee’s lips as he spoke,“Happy thought.” The moment the last syllable left him, Marcus' shoulder was pushed hard, sending him back over the highest cliff that Neverland had to offer.
1. Chapter 1

The wound was deeper than he had thought, and it was becoming increasingly obvious as he continued to dart through the night sky. The air was cold and crisp, usually refreshing, but right now it made him feel sick. He was losing too much blood too quickly. The stars zoomed by so fast that they seemed more like streaks instead of individual lights…each one mourned for him as he pushed himself to go faster. His dark hair was matted against his skin; sticky from sweat and the makeup of his clothing was starting to break away. Skeleton leaves…he didn't use them anymore; with his constant trips back and forth to the mainland, he hadn't been able to control his aging as well as he usually was able to, and now he appeared to be sixteen instead of twelve. How had he let himself slip this far?

Things were so much easier before…with her, his mother, but she was gone now…dead and forgotten by most, but not by him, never by him. His dagger was fastened tightly at his belt loop as his toe glided along a rooftop; the shingles scraped into his skin and pumped his adrenaline faster. _I need to stay awake…_ How much longer would he last? He needed help, over the years more children had imagined natives, but they were young and different: children's minds were so different now. Maybe that had something to do with his change in attire: they all viewed him so differently now.

The stinging in his side increased and he clasped his hand over it, feeling blood immediately spill between his fingers. His beautiful face was pale now, the color in his lips was fading and the sweat on his brow was increasing. Finally he saw what he was looking for and he pushed on faster, riding the wind's back as he dipped in his flight towards the ground. Flying was usually so natural for him, but not when he was this close to death. He crashed headfirst through the window, getting caught in the screen that the boy's parents had put there to keep out insects and the like.

The boy had been asleep in his bed, but now he was upright in his covers, looking down at the bloody figure on the floor. What happened to him?! How had he gotten that wound?! And what was he doing so far from the little island? His voice was low but urgent as he moved from the bed to his side,

"**Peter!"**


	2. Chapter 2

Peter's eyes felt so heavy, all he wanted to do was sleep, but he knew that he couldn't or there would be a good possibility that he'd never again wake. His bright green eyes searched out the troubled voice that seemed so close a moment ago but now seemed to be fading. Finally they fell on his face, his own eyes piercing into the other's bright blue ones. Already he could see tears forming, but he didn't even know the worst of it yet…all he knew was that his friend was dying on his floor. In a hoarse voice he answered his friend,

"_Marcus…"_

Marcus answered him in a voice that was trying so hard not to crack. He had to stay strong for his friend, especially right now,

"**Y-you got caught on my screen again…but that's now why you're like this, why are you like this?!"**

The boy's eyes seemed far away even though he was keeping perfect contact with Marcus'. Where could he even begin? So much had happened in what seemed like such a short amount of time…but on the cozy little island, time went by much slower for it was something that barely even existed and seemed to go backwards rather than forwards. Such a silly place, or it used to be…

"_He'll be here Marcus…he knows that I'll come here. You have to leave, please leave."_

He didn't understand: who was he talking about? There had never been an enemy before that had bested Peter like this, not since Hook, but he was long since dead and forgotten even by the boy that had cut off his hand.

"**Is he like Hook?"**

Now confusion flitted over the boy's face. Marcus should have known that he wouldn't remember him, but some part of him had prayed that in this frenzy of adrenaline and desperation he would have had even the smallest flicker…to no avail.

"_Who? Marcus stop being silly. I don't have medicine…not the type of medicine that can help me right now. I need one of your medicine men. A d-doctor."_

What had happened to him? Marcus helped him to sit up just enough so that he could untangle the insect screen from around him. Peter's hand was clasped tightly at his side. Now, usually Peter was the one that was stronger, but in this state Marcus triumphed over him with ease. His delicate fingers moved to Peter's hand and moved it out of the way. His breath caught in his chest when he saw the wound…it looked like a bullet wound.

"**Oh Peter…"**

Peter's jaw locked; he was _not _going to cry…he never cried, or he'd convinced himself of that. Where had this shot come from? And why was he even sitting here wondering?! His friend needed a hospital…but could he even be treated in the same manner?

"**All right…I need to get my parents."**

He knew the reaction before Peter jerked his head towards him,

"_Grown ups?"_

He answered him with a simple nod. Peter didn't like the idea of that,

"_N-no! I don't need them!"_

"**Peter, you just said you needed a doctor; doctors are adults."**

"_I never said I needed a doctor."_

This was tiring…and ridiculous; there simply wasn't time to argue. It was then that Marcus realized an absence. Where was the light that followed him…?

"**Peter…where's Clara?"**

His eyes moved away from Marcus and closed. No…they'd killed his fairy?! H-how?! Who the hell was after him so much that they killed Clara?! For the first time since being in Peter's presence, Marcus felt afraid…They'd bested Peter, Peter Pan, and killed his fairy. The sound of Peter's hoarse voice caused him to jump a little bit,

"_I need you to go back to Neverland. Riot up the-"_

"**What?! No! I-I can't do that!"**

The tears were spilling out faster now, even though Peter had yet to shed a single one. Despite all that had happened so far, somehow the boy found a way to smile at his friend. He lifted his hand up and touched Marcus' cheek, being sure that the boy would not look away from him again.

"_Marcus…listen to me. Go back to Neverland: riot up the boys. They're the only ones that can actually help you right now…look at me. If you don't want me to die then I need you to do this for me."_

How was he supposed to riot them up? Would they even listen to him…? Peter was the leader, the captain; they followed him, not Marcus. Peter's eyes widened and flickered over to the crashed through window. Marcus gripped his hand that was still on his cheek and pressed it closer as if in some way that would aid in staying protected. Was he here? The person that had done this to him?! Had he already made it?!! Peter's eyes stayed zeroed on the window as he spoke, for once looking far beyond his years,

"_You need to go…don't worry about me. He won't kill me immediately; he'll want to bring me back to the island for that. He'll want my men to see me die…see me fail."_

"**P-peter?"**

"_Don't worry…if anything he might actually let me get healed up, but I don't know. What I do know, is that if you're around me when he's here then he'll kill you without hesitation. He doesn't dangle or play with his prey or anyone that's an obstacle…only me. You'll be a nuisance."_

"**W-who is he?"**

"_Sennyo…Kira Sennyo. He looks like an Indian, but he's not an Indian. His eyes are similar, but his skin is pale like yours. His eyes are slanted and he has dark hair that mixes with blood red. You'll know him when you see him…He has adornments…earrings and necklaces; clothing like I've never seen. I-I don't know what child imagined him, but he's designed strangely."_

Marcus' eyebrows furrowed together. This guy…he sounded Asian from his description. He seemed like a young Asian person too, someone from his own generation possibly.

"**H-his eyes. What color are his eyes Peter?"**

"_Gold…AH!"_

His head tipped back as he cried out in pain. The wound was only getting worse. There wasn't time to talk. Marcus quickly stood up and took out a notebook and paper. He jotted down everything his parents would need to know: that this was a boy named Peter that had been shot and was going to die if they didn't get him to a hospital. That was enough for his parents to know…but the hospital would have one hell of a time trying to find a record of Peter. He knew that they'd laugh and think he was insane when he told them that he was Peter Pan. He moved back to Peter's side, the note being laid down at his side for his parents to find.

They locked eyes for a moment before Peter broke the silence…his voice was so far away that you'd think he was speaking from the island…perhaps that's where he was,

"_Happy thought…"_

How could he think of a happy thought right now?! More tears fell down his cheeks as he looked over his friend. The blood spilling from him was pooling around him now, touching onto Marcus' knees as he stayed knelt beside him. He shook his head slowly…he was hesitant now. How could he possibly leave him here?! What if that Kira person came here?! The weak smile that formed on Peter's face only made it that much harder to grasp at a happy thought. Peter's fingers moved to a pouch at his side and he dipped his fingers in and brought them back out.

A beautiful glistening substance was on them; Marcus knew what it was immediately and shied away from his hand as he outstretched it towards him. Peter's eyes grew sterner as he quickly reached out and took Marcus' face in his hand, letting the dust spread across his cheek and up into the roots of his hair.

"_Happy thought Marcus…"_

Obediently he nodded and in a moment his body started to lift from the ground. He reached his hand out and grasped at Peter's so that he wouldn't drift too far. He'd flown plenty of times with him, but he felt so unstable now…leaving his teacher on the floor to die. Again he saw Peter's eyes widen in horror,

"_Go!"_

He quickly jerked Marcus back so that he flew towards the window. He had only a moment to scream out for his parents in the loudest voice that he could muster. It sounded terrified and blood curdling. The last thing he saw was the lights turn on in his parents' bedroom before he turned and darted off towards the stars.


	3. Chapter 3

The flight back to the island had never once felt as foreboding as it did now. Even the stars seemed to be worried for him; each one blinking as if in warning as he sped past them. He wasn't quite as quick or as graceful at it as Peter was, but then again who was? The sky scrapers of New York City, his home, seemed like his only protection as he pushed to go faster. There were so many lights that it was hard to hide, but that was an advantage to him: if this Kira person came after him then he would be instantly spotted…but did he even fly? He shuddered at the possibility of an even stronger enemy…stronger made if he could fly.

His description was locked into his mind, but it was so vague that he knew he'd be spotted before he could best his rival. Kira…Kira Sennyo. The name even _sounded _Asian…Japanese. His eyes flickered down as he started to fly over China Town and he made a dip down towards it. The ground came up at him faster than he had realized and he had to quickly shift his body to land on his feet. Now it was a matter of finding a Japanese restaurant. Of course he recognized his first name: Kira. Anyone that was part of the anime or manga community would know what that name meant…it meant: Killer. But what of the other name?

After a mere five minutes of walking, he came into a promising restaurant. The woman that played hostess smiled at him in a friendly manner and he tried his best to mirror her enthusiasm.

"**I-I'm not here to eat…I just have a question."**

She nodded, though the slight disappointment shone in her eyes. This was one of those restaurants that stayed open all night, and it seemed like it was their slow hour. He had some money, but it was back at home or else he'd by something to take away that sadness in her expression.

"**What does Sennyo mean?"**

Her eyebrows furrowed together in confusion; it obviously wasn't the question she had been expecting. In this moment he felt ashamed of himself for assuming that just because she was of Japanese descent that she would know how to speak it. Thankfully she did, and she answered him in a broken accent,

"_Sennyo? Yes, it means 'fairy'."_

Fairy…and Kira meant Killer…His eyes widened greatly, though he didn't mean for it to. The man's name meant Fairy Killer.

"**Th-thank you…"**

Now worry took over her features, and she reached out a hand towards him, but he turned and ran out of the restaurant before she could speak another word…if she did it was lost in the wind as he pushed off from the ground in an alleyway and continued his flight. Fairy Killer…who the hell had imagined this person?! And why?!

Was Peter all right? Should he go back and check on him? No…no he couldn't do that; if he did that and Peter was fine then he'd be very cross with him for disobeying an order, but what if he wasn't all right. His stomach lurched and he felt himself drop a few feet in the air at his next thought: what if Kira had come and found his parents a nuisance? The tears stung into his eyes before he had time to register that they had formed and he pushed himself faster.

How long would it take for the island to find him this time? He needed it! Surely that would call out to it stronger. Second star to the right…he knew that there really was no certain way like that to get to Neverland, but right now he was praying for it. _Come on…Find me…Find me dammit!_ A nervous tick had started with him constantly looking over his shoulder…waiting to be looking into those golden eyes which would then surely be the last things he saw.

The previously stopped tears now returned as he saw the sun rising on the horizon. It had already been about six hours and he still wasn't at the island yet. He couldn't hold back the cry of rage that issued from him as he pushed harder towards nothing…the stars were thankful that their turn was up for reign in the sky. His hands went into his hair and he gripped harshly, pulling out some of the black strands as he started to drop from the sky…how could he find a happy thought right now?!

He stared up at the distancing sky as he fell back towards the earth as if he were lying down. His tears fluttered up next to his eyes, but right as he fell through his third cloud he heard music. The shock was enough to slow his plummet. What instrument was that, and where had it come from? He turned his head this way and that, turning his body over so that now he could see his oncoming demise: the ground. He still had a ways until he'd pass out, but where was that music? It sounded in his ears again and now he was able to tell what it was: a piccolo. The hair on the back of his neck stood on end as he felt something warm breathe against it.

His body seemed frozen stiff; he knew there was something there, and he knew what it was…somehow he just knew that it was _him_: Kira. Who else would it be? Did this mean that he could fly? How did he do it without him having seen him?! Then he felt lips on the back of his neck, not kissing him, just pressing close to let him know that he was there…he felt the lips form into a smile and that was more than enough to seal it for him that it was who he thought it was.

Why had Peter picked him dammit?! Well if he was going to die then he might as well do something first right? Another cry issued from him as he quickly jerked his elbow back to get him off of him and cause a bit of pain along the way…but his elbow never connected with anyone. Instead he had heard the sound of a piccolo again. He turned himself over quickly and there was nobody there…

"**W-what?"**

That was all that had time to pass from his lips before he felt his feet brush against the tops of the trees of the island. He was there…he'd made it back to Neverland.


	4. Chapter 4

What was it that caused him to crash? Was it his foot connecting with a branch from one of the many trees on the island? Or was it the lingering confusion and fear that distracted his mind? It was probably the latter, but not much was going through his head as he tumbled forward and landed hard on his side. Grass, twigs, rocks and various other things scraped into him as he skidded to a stop. _Ow…_Landing never was his strongest suit, and the shock of making it back to the island hadn't helped with that. He barely had time to check himself or even sit up for that matter before he heard the cocking of about three guns in his ear. _Shit…_These weren't pirates: that he knew. The guns were too modern; close to what you'd find on the streets of the mainland.

A groan escaped him as he let himself go limp against the ground again, face in the grass. Well at least he hadn't been found by the enemy, but right now he was barely recognizable. A hand quickly took him by the back of his shirt collar and lifted him from the ground followed by harshly slamming him back down on his back. The barrel of a gun was forced into his mouth and his eyes widened as he stared into two bright green eyes which quickly widened as well from their narrowed state.

"_Oh shit it's Marcus."_

His eyes halved down in an annoyed manner as the barrel was quickly removed from his lips. The girl that had forced it there, Mara, instantly took his hand and helped him up. The other two that accompanied her promptly returned their weapons to the holsters of their gun straps. Mara was the same size as Marcus, but the other two, both boys, were both taller than he was: one by an inch or two, the other by over half a foot. The shorter of the two, Thomas, stepped forward and smacked him on the back of the head,

"_What the hell is wrong with you?! Why didn't you inform that you were coming?! Do you have any idea how close she was to blowing your fucki-"_

A hand slapped over his mouth before he could finish the profanity; the action coming from the taller boy: Lee. Marcus couldn't help but always be entranced by his eyes. Lee was a twin, and both of them were completely identical in every way except one: Lee's right eye was black and his left was blue. Though his brother, Jacob, who was back at their home, had both of his eyes blue. He rolled his eyes and reached out to Marcus, turning him this way and that. A light smirk formed over his lips as he arched an eyebrow,

"_Nice landing. All right come on we have to move before we're spotted."_

Marcus knew he was right and ignored the landing comment as he closed his eyes. A bandanna was quickly tied around his eyes and a dirty hand slid into his to lead him back to their home. There were about twenty other children here that made up the rankings: these three were just at the top and almost always travelled with one another. Muffled profanities were being spouted as they walked and he knew that Lee still had his hand over Thomas' mouth. The walk wasn't far, but it was still a bother to have to keep the location hidden from him even now. He'd been to the island so many times that he could probably find their home with ease, but of course he'd never tell any of them that.

The bandanna scratched against his skin as it was ripped away from his eyes by Mara. Her clear voice rang close to his ear and he hadn't realized how close she had gotten; his cheeks warmed ever so slightly from being so close to another person,

"_All right, you know the routine."_

The worry was clear in her voice, but it was a subject that no one in their small group had brought up since his crash here a few moments ago. Even Thomas had grown quiet as they all stared out across the vast spread of crystal clear water. There wasn't time to think about that now though…they could discuss it once they were back.

This was always Marcus' least favorite part about getting to their home…but then again it was always what helped him find his way there in his memory. Mara took the bandanna and tied it around her long brown hair so that it was in a tight pony tail.

"_Deep breath."_

He nodded to Lee's words and he took in as much air that his lungs could hold and dove into the water. The three of them followed suit behind him and the four of them kept close, except for Lee who swam ahead by about ten feet. It was daytime so that meant that the mermaids were sleeping, but there was always the chance that they would be awoken…and that wasn't good for anyone. Lee was the best fighter, excluding Peter, and had already had to kill a good number of them: he seemed to be the only one fast enough to do so. They never dared to lay a finger on Peter, so he never saw the point in fighting with them. Mara was the best with a gun, which was good for land but not so good in the water. Thomas was the smartest strategist, and it was due to his quick thinking and logical standpoints that there were never any casualties from a lost child while making this journey. There was a formation that all of them had to follow while swimming through, it was virtually flawless and could only be done in groups of three or more…which meant that no lost boy or girl could ever venture out alone…save for Peter.

Thomas quickly moved so that he was under Marcus who then wrapped his arms around his neck and closed his eyes: even during this part he wasn't allowed to see where they were going…which was why it was his least favorite stretch of the journey. It was dark, he couldn't breathe, and he had no idea how long it would be until he could breathe again. He hated this part so much! There was a sudden change in pace and his eyes closed tighter, his grip tightening on Thomas' neck as he felt them urged further through the water. What was happening?! Something was definitely happening! He stupidly tried to listen…halfway expecting to hear a piccolo.

Quicker than he'd expected, their heads broke the surface, but only his, Thomas' and Mara's. They all took in large gulps of air. They weren't at the other end where they needed to be, but they needed air. A streak of light poured in from a hole in the underwater cavern: their only light source. Marcus was the first to speak,

"**Where's Lee?"**

Thomas was the one to answer him, still being grasped onto by Marcus. He turned his head ever so slightly to try and look at him: his light brown hair pressed against Marcus' cheek, cold and wet,

"_One of them woke up. He'll be all right…"_

Even if Thomas was right, Marcus couldn't help but be terrified for him. They'd been swimming for almost a minute, and now he had to fight something underwater that's soul intent was to drown him! _Calm down…it's Lee, and he's killed more of these things than anyone on this island._ He had to keep reminding himself of that. A shrill scream sounded through their small air pocket and was soon muffled by water as Mara was harshly pulled down beneath the surface. Her head promptly resurfaced and she growled as she kicked hard at what had pulled her. Marcus' death grip on Thomas' neck only tightened from it, but his heart picked up pace again when he saw Lee's head move up next to her, laughing.

"_You sick son of a bitch!!!"_

Mara was the one to yell it as she moved to punch Lee in the face, but he caught her wrist before she could. Her fingers splayed out and she slapped him instead. He tossed his head back, getting his black hair away from his eyes as he rubbed his cheek,

"_Yeah ok I deserved that, but I'm sorry, I couldn't help it."_

He spoke between laughs as she lunged forward towards him again, forcing his head under the water. Thomas rolled his eyes and kicked Mara hard in the side,

"_Hey! You can kill him __**after **__he gets us through!"_

The annoyance was evident in his voice and she let Lee come back up for air. At this point Marcus didn't know what was better for his health: facing Kira again, or surviving the rest of the way to the lost boys. He was the first to take in air before they all went back down to finish the rest of the way through. They were much further than he had realized: it only took about a minute before they resurfaced on the black sanded beach. He rolled off of Thomas' back and landed on his own to rest against the smooth surface for a moment. All of them did, and it was then that he saw the blood dripping down Lee's skin. Deep bite marks littered his left leg and arm. Were he to remove his clothing you'd see that he had scars all over him from the various fights and battles he'd taken part in…he was probably the most scarred of the lost boys, but it barely fazed him.

"_Shit…"_

Lee's voice was pained as he quickly pulled a tooth from his leg. He moved it into his pocket, but Marcus knew that that was only its temporary home. Lee wore a necklace that strung through the tooth of every mermaid that he had killed, and it was almost full now. His eyes closed tightly and he bit down on his bottom lip as he walked back into the water; letting the lagoon wash out his wounds as much as possible. It was times like this, when Marcus could look at Lee without feeling awkward, that he wondered how he was even still a lost boy. He looked to be about Peter's age, sixteen, but he'd always looked that age to Marcus. Of course none of them aged, and if they did it was at an extremely slow rate, but had he come here when he was sixteen? And he was so tall…the same height as Peter, he could easily be older than sixteen, that was just Marcus' guess.

The youngest of the lost boys was a girl named Hiromi who was only about five years old in appearance; Lee had to be the oldest. The only other he could think of that could possibly be older than him was another girl named Shana. She wasn't exceptionally tall, though she was the tallest girl there, but she looked older than the rest of them…possibly even seventeen, but he knew that she couldn't be: that was too close to being a grown up and Peter would never allow it.

"_All right all right come on. You can get healed up when we get home, Lee. Stop being so primitive about it."_

Mara took him by the back of his shirt and pulled him out of the water, moving back over to Marcus and tying the bandanna around his eyes again. Her hand moved into his as they started to walk once more. The smooth warmth of the sand was lost and replaced by cold grass. After a short walk there was another stop: they were there. The bandanna was taken off of him again, only now he was facing all three of them. A smile stretched over Lee's lips,

"_Happy thought."_

The moment the last syllable left him, Mara pushed Marcus' shoulder hard, sending him back over the highest cliff that Neverland had to offer.


	5. Chapter 5

Most would find it odd that a thirteen year old boy was _not _screaming as he plummeted down over five hundred feet. The wind was cold against his still wet skin, and he could feel goosebumps rising under his soaked through clothing. The last thing he saw as he fell was Thomas' dark brown eyes watching him over the cliff. If the journey through the lagoon was his least favorite stretch in getting to their home, this had to be his favorite. He loved flying, and free falling was even better, especially when you knew that you weren't going to die.

His hair stung into his eyes as the wind whipped it into his face, forcing the lagoon water into his eyes in the process. His eyes darted to the side, looking for what he needed until he saw it: a section of the cliff side that had moss grown over it where there should be no moss or vines. His usual happy thought sprang to the front of his mind and his descent slowed until he was at a stop; hovering about fifty feet above the jagged rocks at the bottom of the drop. He had missed his mark like usual, but he only had to fly about seventy five feet to get back to the mossy spot.

When he reached it he spread out his fingers and tugged hard on a section of rock that was jutting out and would only be noticed by one that knew it was there. He heard and felt it shift forward and groaned as he planted both feet on the cliff side and forced the rock to turn. A small section of the cliff next to him slid to the side and he saw two bright blue eyes and the upper half of a dirty face look over at him. Strands of dirty blonde hair were brushed away from in front of the eyes and a young but raspy voice, raspy from war cries and laughter, called to him,

"_When spring is over, what season is it?"_

"**It's always spring on this side of the island."**

The hidden person nodded quickly and their eyes shone happily. It was always the same question, but he was only seven years old and the fact that each person got it right every time always seemed to amuse him.

"_You've got it!"_

The mossy covered section scraped against the rock as it moved forward and slid down to reveal a long tunnel lit by torch light. A small boy about a foot and a half shorter than Marcus was now visible: the one that asked the question. His head tilted to the side, causing his messy hair to fall in front of his face,

"_Marcus…? Where's Peter?"_

And there it was: the subject that he and the other lost boys he'd just met with had been avoiding. He knew where Peter was, but how was he supposed to explain it? Surely they already knew who Kira was, or at least the older of the lost boys. He reached out and tussled through his hair as he entered the tunnel; listening as it resealed itself. He needed all of them to be there when he told them…but he needed to tell at least one person. His mind ran over everyone that he could and landed on one.

"**Naota, where's Shana?"**

"_She's…I think she's in the galley. Why?"_

"**I have to talk to her."**

They were walking now as they spoke. Small bells lined the walls; part of a makeshift alarm system that would alert when someone was at the opening or if there was forced entry. There were more effective parts interlining sections of the cliff side: hidden perfectly, but they never had to be used…if they were, then they'd have to find a new place to reside in. The tunnel they were walking through now was the main entrance tunnel, but when they reached the end of it they were welcomed with five different tunnels to go through. Each one led to a section of their home, and each one had been made by all of them over a span of twenty years…there had been less lost boys then. So far they had lived in the cliffs the longest, save for when Peter used to live in the home under the ground.

Naota had said she was in the galley, so he took the middle tunnel, Naota staying by his side. Each tunnel was lined with torches as well, and this tunnel happened to lead to, not only the galley, but different living quarters. The galley itself was an enormous cavern that they had found while excavating. It's "ceiling" was about seventy feet up, and there were eight sections cut out of the wall that were the size of a normal bedroom, and used for that specific purpose. The rooms were stacked two at a time, spaced about ten feet apart so that the person residing in the top section had to use a rope ladder to get to it, which they pulled up and tucked away when they went to sleep. It was beautiful to Marcus, and reminded him of different natives from around the world that lived in cliff sides.

The galley itself was brightly lit by a giant glowing orb held in a fine knitted net and tied to the top of the cavern ceiling. It was a gift from the fairies, and each large section at the end of the tunnel ways had one. This particular one shone with a light blue glow and was easily blacked out with a dark sheet that was tied around it at nightfall when they went to sleep. All around the walls were small baseball sized holes that carved all the way to the cliff side and out into open air to allow air into the giant room: all of the giant rooms had them, like the orbs. It would have been easier to make them lead up to the top of the cliff they were on, but were they to do that, rainfall would fill the cavern quickly: the cliff side was the only proper place to put them.

In the middle of this cavern was everything that they needed to prepare food for themselves, along with storage for all of the food as well. It was a galley after all. Marcus looked up at the bedrooms and saw two people already asleep in their beds; Shana however was sitting on the long, stone dining table. The seats and table were all carved from the stone that they had excavated from the cavern and were quite sturdy. Her back was to him, but her head turned over shoulder when she heard their approach. She had been holding a gun, cleaning it out and putting it back together. Her long black hair was moved to one side of her shoulder, hanging over her chest and giving her the appearance of being even older than he already thought she was.

"**Naota, I have to talk to her by myself right now."**

Naota wrinkled his nose and looked up at him with utter confusion and obvious discontent,

"_Why?"_

"**Orders."**

He didn't question that and nodded obediently. He chanced a look at Shana and then back at Marcus before he turned and started back through the tunnel they had just exited. It technically wasn't a lie: Peter had told him to riot them up, but he didn't say he couldn't do it one at a time…The tinkling of bells sounded and he heard Naota pick up pace and run down the tunnel: someone needed to be let in. Shana had of course heard everything from the slight echo and turned around completely to face him; staying seated on the top of the table with both of her legs hanging over the side. She rested her half put back together gun beside her and rested her elbows on her knees and her chin in her hands,

"_Orders huh?"_

He nodded, instantly feeling intimidated by her stare. Her green eyes pierced into his. He was smart in picking her to be the one he addressed first. Out of all of the lost boys she had to be the most mature and level headed. Aside from Peter, she was the best flyer, and the best at swordplay, but all of them had to learn how to use guns…blades were seldom used anymore. She tossed her hair over to her other shoulder as Marcus moved closer and sat down on the seat in front of her and looked up at her. She was completely clean, she was always the cleanest, and her hair was shining beautifully from the blue glow of the orb. It cascaded over her shoulder flawlessly, and from how she was hunched, the tips of her hair fell over her knee a little ways. Were she to be standing, her hair would almost be down to her waist, stopping just an inch or two past her mid back. He nodded to her,

"**In a way…"**

Her eyes studied his for a moment before moving over his head, looking behind him as if expecting someone else to walk into the galley, but of course there was no one there. Her eyes darted back to his, and for the second time he heard that question,

"_Where's Peter?"_

They stared into each other's eyes for a moment, but he was the one to break the gaze; he always did when it was with her…her eyes were too sharp, like most beautiful and deadly of blades,

"**That's…what I needed to talk to you about."**

As if by a magnetic pull, his eyes moved back to hers. Her own were narrowing down in concentration, but it only made it that much harder for him to keep strong under her stare,

"**He came to my house tonight; well…not so much "came"…he crashed through my window."**

Her eyebrows furrowed together; the very idea of Peter crashing was enough to confuse anyone that knew him on a personal level.

"_Crashed?"_

He answered her with a nod and continued on with the happenings of that night: the crash, the wounds, Kira…Her eyes widened and she moved to get to her feet, but surprising to both of them, he stood and pushed her back down by her shoulder. She could have easily resisted him, but she let him, knowing that she needed to calm. Her eyes flitted around, making sure that neither of the two children in their beds had stirred, they hadn't.

"**Shana, have you heard of him? Kira Sennyo?"**

She bit down on her bottom lip; her face now showing just how young she really was as she nodded. It was as if tightening fingers on his heart had finally been pulled away: he wasn't alone.

"**How many of you know about him?"**

She was prompt to answer; the skin of her lip was turning red from how hard she was biting down on it and he feared it would have started to beat had she not started to talk to him,

"_Only a few of us. We didn't think of him as that great of a threat…he's only been here for a day or two."_

"**No…no he's a threat. His name is Japanese, a language from where I'm from, for "fairy killer". I already told you about how he killed Clara…"**

"_How long will Peter be gone?"_

"**I-I don't know. Bullet wounds like the one he had can take weeks to heal. Healing and time isn't the same there…"**

Now it was her turn to move her eyes away. She was thinking and he remained quiet as she did. She slid from the table and started to walk around it, putting her gun back together as she did and looking down at it as if it were the only important thing in the world. Was Kira even alone? What if he had followers? One of him was enough…

"_All right…all right, he doesn't know where we live, and even if he did, he wouldn't be able to get in…that's a plus, but we can't just stay hidden here, even when Peter comes back. We need to find out more about him before we do anything else Marcus. Who knows?"_

"**Just you, me, and Peter."**

She nodded and stopped, now on the other side of the table. She pressed her hands down on the table and looked over at him,

"_You need to tell the top three."_

She was right, and he knew that there was only one way to call the three of them back so promptly if they were still out.

"_I'll check the rest of the caverns to see if they're back…but just in case they aren't, ready the torch."_


End file.
